Molten lava erupts from Eyjafjallajokull, Fimmvorduhals, Iceland

Volcanoes, Climate Change, and The Birth of Christianity

The massive, deadly eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eldgjá in 10th century brought climate change and Christianity to the island colony.
NSF early star rendering

The Earliest Stars

Astronomers who noticed a slight blip in space's background radiation got an insight not just into the early stars but into the age and nature of the early universe.
Joshua Pearce positioning a solar panel

Converting Tobacco Fields into Solar Farms Can Save Half a Million Lives a Year

The cost of generating solar power has dropped so dramatically, it is now economically advantageous for tobacco farmers to replace tobacco with solar farms in many places.
Facebook on smartphone

Why Facebook Can Be Good For Your Health

Is Facebook bad for your mental health? Researchers have been studying the profound impact social bonds can have on health since the 1970s.
NOAA researcher prepares to release an ozone sonde

Do We Still Need to Worry About the Hole in the Ozone Layer?

The world tends to forget about the annual ozone hole that appears over Antarctica, though we're facing huge and complex environmental concerns.
Female chemist at work in laboratory.

Supermalaria, Disaster Testing, and a Drop in Antibiotics Use

A new drug-resistant malaria strain is spreading in South-East Asia. Farmers may be using fewer anti-biotics. Engineers are studying national disasters.
Rats are killing kiwis and other birds in New Zealand

Rat Wars, Radiation Leaks, and Other Dirty Secrets

This week in sustainability news: rats v. kiwis, radiation links in midcentury Soviet Union, and an American town with no running water.
Red Sea Coral Reef

Ecolabels, Plastic-Eating Corals, and Vanishing Cars

Are corals digesting plastic? Are gasoline cars about to disappear from our roads? Does the ecolabel on your frozen salmon mean your dinner is sustainable?
Afghanistan colourful mountains

War Has Made Afghanistan’s $1 Trillion in Minerals Worthless

Developing rare earth mining in Afghanistan has been a potential objective since the USGS estimated the country had $1 trillion in mineral ore deposits.
urban bees

The Rise of the City Bee—How Urbanites Built the 21st-Century Apiculture

Urban apiculture is a booming trend. But many metropolitan beekeepers also believe that bees fare better in cities than they do in the countryside.